Mobile machines, such as hauling machines, are often used to haul material from a load location, at which material is loaded into the machines, to a dump location, at which the material is dumped or discharged from the hauling machines. When operating near a crest or high wall, raised contours such as one or more berms are often formed adjacent to the high wall to act as a guide for assisting in positioning of the hauling machines relative to the high wall to perform a dumping operation. More specifically, the berms may include a sloped wall that is engaged by tires of the hauling machines to appropriately position the hauling machine for the dumping operation.
For efficient worksite management, the hauling machine should dump the material at a specified location. Therefore, exact positions of the berms and associated dump edges should be known to the hauling machine so as to perform the dumping operation effectively. Conventional methods make use of an onboard sensor to determine whether the tires of the hauling machine have engaged the berm and subsequently stop the hauling machine upon engagement by the tires of the berm. However, such systems may need initial and/or continuous contact with the berm for relative positioning of the hauling machine. Since topographic characteristics, such as height, of the berm may change with such contact, these systems may not be as accurate as desired.
U.S. Published Application Number 2015/0206433 describes a vehicle control system. The vehicle control system includes a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver for detecting position of each vehicle, an encoder and an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) mounted on a vehicle. The vehicle control system operates such that if a position requiring caution is found, the information is fed back to the system associated with the vehicle. For example, the vehicle control system gives feedback to the respective vehicle if the vehicle makes contact with a berm on a track road based on received sensory data. Accordingly, the vehicle control system may assist in avoiding collision with the berm.
However, the system described may be inefficient in positioning the rear tires of the hauling machine relative to the berm on the rear side of the hauling machine. Hence, an improved system for positioning the machine is required.